Wednesday, August 23, 2006

The Blackberry as "Crackberry"

In addition to cell phones, there is another device out there that other people are becoming addicted to. It is the ubiquitous Blackberry, and it has become so large a part of our society that people have started using their Blackberries while driving their cars. As if there is not enough to distract your attention from the road. It is as though people are addicted to being connected to the world. It may seem that time behind the wheel is down time, but the exact opposite is true. Time behind the wheel requires a certain amount of responsibility and, whats more, it is also a privilege. Here is an interesting on the subject.

Blackberry email devices can be so addictive that owners may need to be weaned off them with treatment similar to that given to drug users, experts warned today.

They said the palmtop gadgets, which have been nicknamed 'crackberries' because users quickly become hooked on them, could be seriously damaging to mental health.

The study, carried out by New Jersey's Rutgers University School, claims the Blackberry is fuelling a rise in email and internet addiction, with sufferers able to survive only a few minutes without checking for new mail.

One key sign of a user being addicted is if they focus on their Blackberry ignoring those around them.

The gadget, which combines a phone with internet access, was launched in 1999 and quickly hailed a lifesaver, allowing fraught businessmen to access their emails anywhere.

But the effects of becoming addicted to the device can be 'devastating', said Professor Gayle Porter who led the study.

She added: 'Employers provide programmes to help workers with chemical or substance addictions. 'Addiction to technology can be equally damaging to a worker's mental health'.

Imagine, an electronic device with the addictive of a narcotic. Businessmen just cannot seem to be able to put them down. The wireless companies and makers of the Blackberry are just like drug cartels, making a killing of them.